Conventional planing machines are generally of two types, the first type requiring planks to be fed past a revolving plane by hand. Although this type is the most accurate, due to the high rate of injuries to worker's hands, it is not in common use today in larger lumber yards. These machines generally consist of at least two sets of feeding rollers to feed a plank over and past a revolving plane at a constant speed. The rollers also serve to press the plank against the plane while at the same time they prevent the plank from being driven back by the plane or getting cocked at an angle. The main disadvantage of such machines is that most planks have a tendency to warp. When planks that have been warped are planed on these machines, the rollers serve to press the plank flat, whereupon it is planed and leaves the machine, whereupon, after being released from the pressure of the rollers, the plank will warp again to its original configuration.
The purpose of this invention is provided for a construction whereby the rollers of an automatic planing machine are movable so as to compensate for the warp in planks by following that natural warp, thereby allowing the plank to be planed in a manner that will result in a truly level, flat plank.